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Hard Numbers

Hard Numbers: A power play in the Arctic, Nigeria-UAE pen trade deal, US used civilian-appearing plane in first boat strike, Former NYC mayor nets crypto windfall

​NTB/Cornelius Poppe via REUTERS

Norway's Queen Sonja views a travel direction signpost as she visits Bjornoya island of the Svalbard Norwegian archipelago, June 14, 2025.

NTB/Cornelius Poppe via REUTERS
1920: Norway is tightening its grip on Svalbard, a remote archipelago near the North Pole rich in rare-earths and vital for satellite and missile monitoring, in a bid to keep rivals out of the Arctic. The archipelago is part of Norway, but a 1920 treaty has allowed almost anyone to live there without a visa. Oslo is asserting more control in restricting voting rights from foreigners and blocking land sale to foreign buyers.

$2 billion: Nigeria and the UAE signed a deal on Tuesday aimed at expanding non-oil trade, a deal that includes a $2 billion climate fund to support Nigeria’s green-energy transition. The deal between one of Africa’s biggest economies and the Gulf state comes as Nigeria aims to hit net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2060.

11: When the Trump administration launched its first attack on an alleged drug-smuggling boat traveling from Venezuela last September, it did so using an aircraft that looked like a civilian plane – a move that could be deemed a war crime under international armed conflict standards. The attack killed 11 people. Administration officials rejected the claim of possible war crimes.

$2.5 million: Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams launched a memecoin yesterday and, after the token’s value skyrocketed, over $2.5 million of liquidity was withdrawn. The move has sparked accusations that the former mayor engaged in a “rug pull,” in which a famous figure or promoter hypes a token before cashing out and leaving investors with losses.

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​Bangladeshi women hold placards as they take part in a rally to mark International Women's Day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on March 8, 2021. (Photo by Mamunur Rashid/NurPhoto)

Bangladeshi women hold placards as they take part in a rally to mark International Women's Day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on March 8, 2021. (Photo by Mamunur Rashid/NurPhoto)

(Photo by Mamunur Rashid/NurPhoto)
27.5%: The share of parliamentary seats women hold worldwide, as of Jan. 1, 2026, per a report by the Inter-Parliamentary Union. It’s a modest gain – 0.3 points – from a year prior, but marks an overall slowdown since 2017. The Americas topped the list of regions with the highest share of female parliamentarians, with women making up 35.6% of [...]
​Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez and US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 4, 2026.

Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez and US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum walk together to deliver a statement, in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 4, 2026.

REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria
1,000: The maximum amount of gold, in kilograms, that Venezuela’s state-owned mining firm Minerven will send to US markets, in a deal reportedly reached between Washington and Caracas on Monday. It is the latest sign of growing commercial ties between the Trump administration and interim Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodriguez, only two months on from [...]
A man holding a South Sudan flag takes part in a national day of prayers for peace in Juba, South Sudan, on September 19, 2019.​

A man holding a South Sudan flag takes part in a national day of prayers for peace lead by South Sudan's President Salva Kiir at the state house in Juba, South Sudan, on September 19, 2019.

REUTERS/Jok Solomun
178: The number of people killed in South Sudan on Sunday, according to a local official, after dozens of young gunmen launched a surprise attack in the north of the East African state. Ninety children were among the dead. The attack has exacerbated fears that the country could slide back into civil war, just eight years after the last one ended. [...]
​U.S. President Donald Trump, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi and President of Rwanda Paul Kagame take part in a signing ceremony at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 4, 2025.

U.S. President Donald Trump, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi and President of Rwanda Paul Kagame take part in a signing ceremony at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 4, 2025.

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
6,500: The number of M23 rebels fighting in Congo. On Monday, the US imposed sanctions on the Rwandan government for allegedly supporting the rebels, who’ve been accused of human rights abuses, despite a peace deal that Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi signed in Washington, D.C., last year. Rwanda disputes the [...]